59 seconds

59 seconds is a book written by Richard Wiseman, one of the self-help gurus.

He is introducing new tricks that work well and quickly (in 59 seconds) when it comes to relationships, motivation, personality, luck etc.

I will mention here only the most interesting parts, for the rest I recommend reading the book.

How to appear more attractive?

The classical myth when it comes to attraction is "playing hard to get". The logic is that the person who is picky has high criteria and so the chosen person should feel privileged and happy.

Wiseman says that a quick touch can work really well (especially for men), and even better than playing hard to get. Namely, women consider men with a higher social status more attractive. From evolutionary perspective, those men represent partners who are capable to provide for them and their children.

A man can show this status with a slight touch of the woman's upper arm, as this shows the domination over the person who is being touched. A woman will unconsciously read this touch as a sign of a superior male and be more attracted to him. The touch has to be short, limited on the upper arm and followed by a compliment or a small request.

How to make a big decision?

The study described in the book shows that the more a person thinks about the decision, the more likely it is that one would regret it afterwards. Instead, the process should go as follows: know exactly what you need to decide on, and then instead of weighing pros and cons, do something that will distract your attention from the conscious decision making. In these moments the unconscious part of the brain will do the work. Whatever the decision after this break is, would be the decision people would regret the least.

Why is that? The conscious mind is good when it has to take into account only two or three criteria, but it has a limited capability of processing many small details and nuances. Instead of taking into account all of the factors, conscious mind only focuses on two most important ones and neglects the rest. On the other hand, the unconscious mind has the ability to do just that.

How to spot a liar?

The conventional thinking is that the liars will be nervous and tense, sweat and ramble instead of talk.

In the book Wiseman mentions a study that shows some unexpected signs of lying. It says that liars know that the above mentioned symptoms can be seen as signs of lying. That is why liars consciously do not use excessive gesticulation, they tend to repeat the same phrase, give shorter answers without too much details, do not use the words me, myself, mine but use his/her instead. So next time a person talks to you without emotions, slowly and with hesitation, beware that they might be playing a trick on you.

How to get back a stolen wallet?

The research showed one thing that could increase the chances of getting back your stolen or lost wallet by 30% - placing a picture of a small child in a prominent place in your wallet. The evolutionary mechanism awakens the sensors for taking care of the child in the person who found the wallet and saw the picture, so they are more likely to give the wallet back.